Middleton Place

Most people visit Middleton Place in the spring when the azaleas are in full bloom.  It is a glorious sight.  Winter is a very different experience at Middleton, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless.  We may have seen only a few flowers in bloom, but we had the place to ourselves.  The garden is much more than flowers.

Middleton Place is the home of the oldest landscaped gardens in the country and has been welcoming visitors for decades.  Although Middleton Place House is open for tours, the focus here is most certainly the gardens.  The formal gardens were laid out in 1741 in the classic style and were expanded in the new romantic style in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.



Looking Toward the Butterfly Lakes and Ashley River





Octagonal Garden

We started our visit with lunch in the restaurant, which is known for its Southern cuisine. We then toured the house, which was built as a dependency, but is now the only house that remains on the property.  The main three-story brick house and the other dependency were destroyed during the Civil War and the earthquake of 1886.  Although there are notable Benjamin West and Thomas Sully portraits on display, as well as two outstanding Charleston rice beds, the most fascinating item for me was a simple embroidered slave sack.  This sack was only recently discovered at a flea market in Tennessee and acquired by Middleton Place from the woman who discovered it.  It likely dates from 1840.


Middleton Place House

We wandered through the gardens, admiring the boxwood plantings, the camellias that are just starting to bloom and the giant live oaks.  Water is an important part of Middleton Place, and not only for its ornamental lakes and ponds.  The Ashley River was the main highway to the outside world, and provided an essential element for rice cultivation, the major crop grown on the plantation.  My particular favorite is the butterfly lakes, which are a signature feature in the gardens.


South Green Walk



Sundial Garden



Camellia



Reflection Pool

Middleton Place is such a beautiful and peaceful place to explore and a place that I never tire of visiting.

Rice Mill Pond



Noisy Peacock



Flooded Rice Field



Wood Nymph Statue



Another Camellia



A Christmas Treat

Tim and I gave ourselves a Christmas treat today, actually two treats.  First, we took the RV to Pleasant Details across the Cooper River in Mount Pleasant to be washed.  Yes, I know we could have washed the RV ourselves, but we really don’t have all of the equipment we need, particularly a ladder to clean the roof.  The folks at Pleasant Details were great and are used to dealing with Sprinters.  Cheryl even owns a Roadtrek Adventurous, which is similar to ours.  The RV looks beautiful again.



A Bath for Christmas



On the Ravenel Bridge Over the Cooper River

After lunch at Bessinger’s Barbeque, we checked into The Inn at Middleton Place.  Although we’ve stayed at a few hotels during the trip, we haven’t stayed at a really, really nice hotel. Most don’t accept pets.  Here, however, we got the Pampered Pet package, and Kitty was warmly welcomed.  She received her own bowl, treats and toys.  We won’t tell her that the toys are really meant for dogs.  What’s a cat going to do with a tennis ball?  The package was cute nonetheless.



The Lodge at The Inn at Middleton Place



A Package for Kitty

We were able to check in early and spent the afternoon relaxing.  That’s easy to do here.  The inn is located on the grounds of Middleton Place, the oldest landscaped gardens in the country, and we’ll visit there tomorrow.  The inn is very contemporary in design, but totally respects the beautiful site on a bluff overlooking the Ashley River.  


Along the Ashley River

We have a river view room with floor to ceiling windows, and Kitty loves her view of the outdoors.  The inn’s setting in the middle of a wooded area makes it totally private.  It’s a perfect getaway.


A Lovely Place to Relax



Are There Any Squirrels Out There?

The Holy City

We made it back to Charleston today so we could at last explore some of the city’s historic neighborhoods, including the Battery.  The Battery is the neighborhood at the very southern tip of the peninsula and includes some of the oldest and finest houses in Charleston.  I love to simply wander from street to street, admire the architecture and peek into the gardens.  It was a beautiful day to walk, and we just took our time exploring this amazing city.



Promenade Along East Battery



Rainbow Row



A Charleston Single House



Calhoun Mansion



Along South Battery

I had to take Tim to another favorite destination, the City Market.  Once the city’s fish, meat and vegetable market, it now houses dozens of vendors.  Here I found the cinnamon roasted pecans I had been looking for.  These are another Charleston specialty, and we purchased several bags to take with us.



Charleston City Market



Cinnamon Roasted Pecans and Almonds

We also checked out Waterfront Park and sat for a while, enjoying the view of the Charleston Harbor.  Charleston has done a nice job of utilizing and providing access to its waterfront.



Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park

We did break down today and went shopping.  Yes, I know.  I’ve said we’re not shopping for clothes.  However, when you wear the same few clothes for months on end, you either get sick of them or just wear them out.  Besides, it’s Christmas.  We wandered into Banana Republic where everything was forty percent off and picked out a few choice items.  See, we even got a bargain.  As soon as we arrived, we made friends with Sandi, the manager.  Talking with her was just as much fun as buying our new clothes.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

One thing that Tim and I have discovered on this trip is that RVers love to celebrate the holidays in grand style.  Our first encounter with this phenomenon was on Halloween weekend, when everyone’s decorations were unfortunately destroyed by the freak snowstorm.   We’re encountering the phenomenon again.  Of course, almost everyone here has decorated for Christmas.

Although it does not surprise me that people who fulltime in their RVs put up Christmas decorations, I’m amazed that weekend campers go to such trouble.  Some of the decorations are pretty, and others are tacky, but that’s true of the way houses are decorated as well.  Tim and I have our own Christmas tree, a “minimalist” one-foot tall tree that my friend Ana gave to me many, many years ago.



Luminarias Are Pretty



Where's My Dart Gun?



Our Christmas Tree

If the decorations in the campground aren’t enough, there is a Holiday Festival of Lights display at James Island County Park where we are camping.  This is an extremely popular attraction in Charleston, and is one of the top ten light festivals in the country.  We’ve been told that cars often wait in line for up to two hours just to enter the park.  

Tim and I wanted to see what the light display was all about, so we opted to board a shuttle operated by the campground and let someone else do the driving.  The displays are really imaginative, and we had a great time.



Santa's Village



Poinsettas and Candles



Creatures From the Sea



Can't Forget the Flamingos



A Wise Owl

Earlier in the day we had gone into Charleston and attended a Holiday Pops Celebration performed by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.  There’s nothing like beautiful Christmas music to put you in the spirit of the season.

We also wandered around the last farmers market of the year in Marion Square and sampled benne seed wafers, a local favorite.  Benne, the Bantu word for sesame, was brought from East Africa and planted throughout the South.  The wafers are a sweet, crunchy delicacy, and I love them.



Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer at the Farmers Market



Lots of Tempting Things to Purchase



Benne Wafers and Other Charleston Favorites

Our food adventure didn’t end there.  We had lunch at Magnolias, one of my favorite restaurants here.  Magnolias introduced innovative Southern cuisine to Charleston in 1990 and sparked a culinary renaissance.  I had the shellfish and grits, and Tim tried the shrimp and sausage.  The food there never disappoints. 

We never made it to the Battery today to explore the historic buildings because I was able to snag an appointment to get my hair cut.  We’ll definitely get there tomorrow.

A Fort and Fish

Two of Charleston’s classic attractions occupied our day today – a visit to Fort Sumter National Monument and a tour of the South Carolina Aquarium.  Since they’re right next door to one another, it seemed to make a lot of sense to visit those two today and see the historic area of Charleston tomorrow.

I’ve been to Charleston numerous times, but I’d never been to Fort Sumter.  However, since 2011 marks the start of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and since Tim and I have been visiting so many Civil War sites, we decided that we had to see where the opening shots of the Civil War were fired.  You can only get to Fort Sumter by boat, so we boarded one at Liberty Square.



Fort Sumter National Monument

Fort Sumter was a rather impressive fort in 1861, standing approximately fifty feet in height.  Today’s fort, however, barely resembles the original.  The fort was virtually destroyed during the Civil War, and the interior was filled with a massive concrete structure during the Spanish-American War.  The stabilized ruins, the partial reconstructed walls of the fort and the exhibits do come together to evoke that pivotal moment in American history.  Viewing downtown Charleston from the water was an added bonus of the boat ride.


Parrott Guns



Left-Face Casemate Ruins



Five Flags Have Flown Over Fort Sumter

Next door to the Fort Sumter visitor center is the South Carolina Aquarium, one of the most visited attractions in Charleston.  The aquarium showcases animals from the South Carolina mountain forests and piedmont to the coastal plain, saltmarsh and ocean.  There are really some amazing fish and other critters on exhibit, including a rare albino alligator and Atlantic sea nettles.  I wouldn’t want to see them in the wild, but they were fascinating to see up close in a tank.



Albino Alligtator from the Coastal Plain



Atlantic Sea Nettles from the Ocean



A Pelican in the Saltmarsh

One of the main features of the aquarium is the Great Ocean Tank, a two-story tank that contains hundreds of animals, including sharks, pufferfish and a loggerhead sea turtle.  As we made our way to the lower ocean gallery, we stumbled upon a special holiday program on the Twelve Days of the Great Ocean Tank.  Although the program was primarily designed for children, Tim and I had fun watching Scuba Claus swimming with the fish.  What a hoot!  The aquarium is definitely worth a visit.



Loggerhead Sea Turtle and Fish in the Great Ocean Tank



Scuba Claus in the Great Ocean Tank



South Carolina Aquarium



Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge Over the Cooper River



An Architectural Gem

Today, Tim and I made our way back to the coast for a visit to Charleston, South Carolina.  Charleston is one of my favorite cities, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with Tim.  On our way, we stopped at Drayton Hall, one of the many plantations along the Ashley River near Charleston.



A Beautiful Reflection

Built in 1738, Drayton Hall is the finest example of Georgian-Palladian style architecture in America and is the oldest preserved plantation house in America open to the public.  It’s a magnificent house and another favorite of mine. 


Outstanding Example of Georgian-Palladian Style Architecture

Drayton Hall had never been “modernized” when it was purchased by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Neither electricity nor plumbing had ever been installed.  What I find intriguing is that the house has been preserved, not restored.  What this means is that the house has not been restored to a particular period in time, but has been preserved as it was received from the Drayton family in 1974.  Very few house museums today seem to use this approach.  In addition, the house is not furnished.  As a result, the tour focuses entirely on the architecture and the history of the house and family.  There are no distractions to take your eye away from the amazing woodwork.


The Landscape Is Also Beautiful

The grounds at Drayton Hall have also remained undisturbed, and we thoroughly enjoyed walking down to the river and sitting there for a bit.  It was so nice and quiet, and we missed that tranquility as we made our way through the heavy traffic around Charleston.


Along the Ashley River

We are staying at the campground at James Island County Park.  It’s a beautiful park and a very nice campground.  It even has full hookups.  The campground will be full this weekend, something that we are not used to.  Most of the places we’ve stayed have been mostly empty, so it will be interesting to see how we react to all of the crowds and commotion.